DCDP Staff Changes
The good news is that, this week, our own DCDP Special Events Coordinator Chris Nguyen was hired as the North Texas Organizer of the Clinton/Kaine Campaign. We are proud of her, and we certainly wish her well. The bad news is that we will miss her for the next 10 weeks. However, the silver-lining is that she is returning to the DCDP after this 10-week leave of absence. The staff is pitching in to cover the work. DCDP Tessa McGlynn is now working full-time, we have added several interns and fellows, and we are advertising for an Office Administrator.
Texas Moms
The good news is that, this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Texas anti-abortion bill, which resulted in the closing of 82 women's clinics. The bad news is that, this week, a medical journal reported that the Texas maternal mortality rate almost doubled. Now, more Texas women die from childbirth than in Mexico. According to an Amnesty International study on the subject: "Given that at least half of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable, this is not just a matter of public health, but a human rights failure."
Texas Voter ID Law
The good news is that, recently, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Texas Voter ID law (enacted in 2011 by the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature) is illegal under the Voter Rights Act because it has a negative and "discriminatory effect" on the voting opportunities of minorities and the poor. The bad news is that the Texas Voter ID Law is still in effect ... with a few important alterations, as a result of the 5th Circuit case.
The original list of acceptable forms of identification has been expanded from the 7 types of identification specified in the original law, including:
* Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
* Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
* Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
* Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS
* United States military identification card, containing the person's photograph
* United States citizenship certificate containing the person's photograph
* United States passport
[Note: A U.S. citizenship certificate must be current. However, the other forms of identification can be expired up to 4 years.]
As a result of the 5th Circuit ruling, voters who have been unable to obtain one of the above 7 IDs because of a "reasonable impediment," can still vote if they sign a "Reasonable Impediment Declaration" and produce one of the following forms of identification, including:
* Valid voter registration certificate
* Certified birth certificate (must be an original)
* Copy of or original current utility bill
* Copy of or original bank statement
* Copy of or original government check
* Copy of or original paycheck
* Copy of or original government document with your name & address. (The original is required if it has a photo.)
[Note: "Reasonable impediments" include lack of transportation, disability or illness, lack of a birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain an acceptable photo ID, work schedule, family responsibilities, lost or stolen photo ID, or failure to receive a photo ID after applying, or other reasonable excuse.]
The voter's name on the ID and on the official voter list must be "substantially similar." If not, the voter can still vote after signing an affidavit, stating that the voter is the same person on the list of registered voters. A voter without proper identification can vote with a provisional ballot, but must deliver an acceptable photo ID to the county voter registrar within six days.
YOU CAN HELP!
This is the scariest presidential campaign of our lifetime. The good news is that we can do something about it. We need your help in one or more of the following ways.:
